Nexosome Oncology

Nexosome Oncology, incorporated in 2021, is a life sciences company operating in the biotechnology and oncology sectors. The firm originated as a spin-out from NX PharmaGen Inc., a broader life sciences company, and represents its third venture. In late 2021, Nexosome Oncology secured a significant milestone by raising $4 million in a seed funding round from investors including Keyhorse Capital, VisionTech Partners, and Kentucky Science & Technology. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Todd Hembrough, a seasoned executive and scientist with a background in oncology translational medicine from roles at AstraZeneca and OncoPlex Diagnostics. His experience is complemented by co-founder Ken Dicken and a leadership team that includes Board Chairman Alan Ezrin, PhD, and Director/Advisor J. Carl Barrett, PhD.

The company's core business revolves around developing exosome-based diagnostics for cancer detection and monitoring. It operates in the liquid biopsy market, providing a non-invasive alternative to traditional tissue biopsies. Nexosome Oncology's business model is centered on forming strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies. Revenue generation is planned through income-generating pilot studies, clinical studies, and licensing agreements with these partners. The company's target clients are pharmaceutical firms seeking deep proteomic biomarker discovery for drug development, diagnostics companies aiming to improve early cancer detection, and academic research institutions conducting longitudinal sample analysis.

Nexosome Oncology's primary offering is an exosome-focused liquid biopsy platform that analyzes extracellular vesicles (EVs) in plasma. This platform provides a comprehensive view of a patient's cancer by examining not just tumor-cell biomarkers but also signals from the tumor microenvironment and the patient's immune and metabolic responses. The technology involves a proprietary method for isolating EVs from blood samples, followed by mass spectrometry and machine learning workflows for biomarker discovery. This process identifies unique protein fingerprints of various cancers, which can then be translated into rapid, distributable clinical assays like ELISAs. A key benefit of this approach is its high sensitivity and specificity for early-stage cancer detection, reportedly exceeding 95%, a significant improvement over many current diagnostic tools. The platform is designed to assess patient response to chemotherapy and radiation, offering advanced tumor intelligence to healthcare providers.

Keywords: exosome diagnostics, liquid biopsy, oncology, cancer detection, plasma proteomics, tumor monitoring, biomarker discovery, extracellular vesicles, cancer diagnostics, precision medicine, non-invasive diagnostics, chemo-response, radiation response, translational medicine, clinical assays, mass spectrometry, machine learning in biotech, tumor microenvironment, immune response biomarkers, early cancer detection